Entries tagged with sauce

Entry tags:

sauce

Scallion Pesto

Scallion Pesto
Prep Time 15 mins Total Time 15 mins Servings 4 servings Yield 1 cup of pesto

Ingredients

1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, packed
1 cup scallions, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup raw pine nuts
2 teaspoons lemon juice, or more to taste
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method

1 - Blanch the basil and parsley:
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Set a bowl of ice water next to the stove.
Add the basil and parsley to the boiling water and blanch for 5 to 10 seconds, or just until they wilt.
2 - Transfer blanched herbs to ice water, then drain:
Using a slotted spoon, remove the herbs from the boiling water, and transfer the herbs to the bowl of ice water. Swish them around for 30 seconds.
Drain into a colander, and with your hands, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
3 - Pulse the pesto:
In a food processor, combine the scallions, basil, parsley, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.
4 - Slowly pour in the olive oil:
While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady slow stream. Adding the olive oil slowly while the processor is running will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally, stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
5 - Season and store:
Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and lemon juice as needed. Transfer to an airtight container, pour a thin layer of olive oil, seal, and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

dessert,
sauce

Recipe: "Spicy Butterscotch Sauce"

I made this recently. It turned out quite well.

"Spicy Butterscotch Sauce"

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter
1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Aromatic Itty Bitters
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons Kelewele Dry Spice Mix

Directions:

Cut one stick (1/2 cup) of butter into slices. In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Stir to combine. It should resemble wet sand.

Bring the pot to a boil. Keeping it at a low steady boil, stir until it looks smooth rather than grainy. At first the butter and brown sugar may seem to stay separate, but they will blend together as the butterscotch cooks. This typically takes about 2-3 minutes. When you lift up a spoonful, it should pour off in a relatively smooth ribbon, and start to cling, rather than a blob of sugar falling off because the butter coats the spoon.

Take the pot off the heat so it won't spatter. Slowly pour in 1 cup of heavy cream. Put the pot back on the heat and stir gently to combine. Return to a low steady boil. Stir for another 4 minutes.

Take the pot off the heat. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon Aromatic Itty Bitters, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Stir to combine.

Add Kelewele Dry Spice Mix to taste, 1/4 teaspoon at a time. 2 teaspoons makes a mildly spicy sauce.

Allow to cool slightly. Transfer the sauce to a container and refrigerate. The sauce will thicken as it cools. It keeps well for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. This recipe makes about 2 cups of spicy butterscotch sauce.

To serve, reheat in a pan over low heat, or in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Avoid boiling when reheating the sauce. Serve over ice cream, pies, or cake. It also works well as a fruit dip. You can also mix it into hot drinks or smoothies like any other syrup.

Notes:

Butterscotch relies a lot on butter for flavor, so get the best you can find and afford. I like the Kerrygold Irish butter, which is grass-fed.

You can use light or dark brown sugar, or a mix of both. I ran short on dark, so I actually used about half of each.

Vena's Fizz House offers a wide range of Itty Bitters. I used Aromatic here, which includes Alcohol, Sarsaparilla, Cardamom, Orange Peel, Cloves, Wormwood, Fennel, Sassafras, Cinnamon, Allspice, Anise Seed, Gentian Root. If you don't have this one, any "aromatic" type of bitters should work. You can also use all vanilla extract.

Sea salt has many benefits, and its trace minerals offer more complex flavor. If you don't have any, then kosher salt or table salt will work.

Kelewele Dry Spice Mix is used to flavor plantains. It is much like a pie spice blend with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove but adds cayenne for more kick. I got my recipe for it from Zoe's Ghana Kitchen and found it visible online, which I posted about when I first made it. If you don't have this mix, or its ingredients, you can substitute apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, or garam masala. Add a pinch or two of cayenne if you want to make it hotter.

Entry tags:

Quick Tomato Sauce

This was posted by my friend and author Peg Cochran at https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2019/06/quick-tomato-sauce-recipe-pegcochran.html

Quick Tomato Sauce #Recipe

pegcochran

This is a great quick and light tomato sauce. I used it on homemade pizza but it would be just as good over pasta or over chicken or fish. Fresh tomatoes are so dicey (pun intended) this time of year so I adapted the recipe to use canned tomatoes. The quality was still excellent. I recommend San Marzano tomatoes if you can get them. I used the Cento brand.

Since I’m doing Weight Watchers, I cut the oil back in this recipe to 1 TBSP and it didn’t suffer a bit. However if you aren’t dieting, go ahead and use the full 3 TBSP.

3 Tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 pounds ripe, cored and diced fresh tomatoes or 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp kosher salt
1⁄2 cup fresh, chopped basil
Pinch sugar

Combine oil, onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 1 minute.
FRESH TOMATOES

Add tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, salt and sugar and sauté until tomatoes begin to soften, about 1 minute.

Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until sauce consistency, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil. (I'd think 45 minutes, too).

CANNED TOMATOES

Add tomatoes and juice, tomato paste and salt and pinch of sugar and simmer slowly, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon. Continue to cook until tomatoes break down and become sauce consistency—approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from heat and add basil.